"When we found out about the impact malaria was having on people in Africa, especially children, our church wanted to try and do something about it."

My day job as a media sales person, is to drive the highways and byways of Western Massachusetts looking for clients who want to spend money advertising their business. That's how I met Jim Kahle, who owns Jim's Auto Trim on State Street in Springfield.

What made me first take notice wasn't the opportunity to make a sale, instead it was the sign by the side of the road that asked for donations for Springfield's Open Pantry. Growing up in Western Pennsylvania Jim was a big Pittsburgh sports fan. He counted the Steelers and Pirates among his favorites, especially Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente.

"If you want to know where my motivation comes from, it's my man Roberto Clemente," Jim said. "He died in a plane crash delivering aid to Nicaragua following an earthquake back in 1972. He died trying to do something for others, trying to make a difference. In many ways it just goes back to Matthew 7:12, do unto others what you would have them do to you. We've been taking food donations here at the shop since we opened four years ago," Jim said. I think we're just a couple hundred pounds shy of donating 20-thousand pounds of food to the Open Pantry.

"When we found out about the impact malaria was having on people in Africa, especially children, our church wanted to try and do something about it," Jim said. "It's something like 200 million people around the world who are infected by malaria. Children were dying every thirty seconds from the disease. But with programs like 'Imagine No Malaria', and 'Nothing But Nets', those numbers have been cut in half."

And the Revolution and Houston Dynamo can relate first-hand to the effects of the disease. Back in 2010 former New England midfielder Sainey Nyassi was hospitalized with Malaria, contracting the disease while playing for the Gambian national soccer team. Sainey's twin brother Sanna, who plays for the Montreal Impact, battled Malaria twice. And former Houston Dynamo star Mac Kandji almost died from the disease when he was a teenager growing up in Africa.

"When I was in Vietnam in 1968 and 69, we had to take a shot once a month to help prevent malaria, and it made you sick as a dog," Jim said. "These days here in our country, malaria isn't a big deal anymore, but it's a real problem in third world countries. We hope that by getting involved in projects like 'Imagine No Malaria', we can bring awareness to the problem, and of course raise money too."

If you'd like to get involved in the fight against malaria, and see some great soccer too, you can call Saint Paul's United Methodist Church in Ludlow to find out more about the September 28 bus trip. If you happen to be cruising up and down State Street you can stop by Jim's Auto Trim. If you do make sure you bring something for the Open Pantry, after all they're coming up on the 20-thousand pound mark pretty quickly.